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Iruka Umino
}} | english = }} }} is an instructor at the Konoha Ninja Academy, and is characterized by the distinctive scar across his face which he has had since childhood. Background Iruka's parents were killed twelve years before the start of the series, defending Konoha from the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. His family gone, Iruka thereafter became a prankster, trying to gain attention to stave off the loneliness. He would spend his time at the monument where his parents' names were engraved, and, in his darkest moments, would be cheered up by the Third Hokage. Mizuki was a colleague of Iruka's back then, and usually made him feel better, but eventually his intentions became an act just to gain the Hokage's approval. Personality Although he owes his miserable childhood to the Nine-Tails, he has no hostility towards its container, Naruto Uzumaki. He can relate to Naruto's efforts to win recognition and the feeling that he is alone in the world. Because of this, Iruka goes to sometimes great lengths to make Naruto happy, even when the rest of Konoha ostracizes him. Naruto has since come to view Iruka as a father-figure, and will not allow anyone to harm him. The two enjoy their favorite ramen dish at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar whenever Naruto returns from a mission, where Iruka gets an opportunity to see how Naruto is developing as a ninja. Part I When Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals at the start of the series, Iruka came to his aid. Iruka protected Naruto from Mizuki's attacks and, after Naruto found out about the Nine-Tails within him, insisted that he didn't hate him. After the ordeal, he allowed Naruto to graduate from the Ninja Academy, and, from that point further, makes sporadic appearances. He voiced concern about Team 7 being entered in the Chūnin Exams, such that, in the anime, he tested each member individually to see if they were ready by disguising himself as a Amegakure ninja. Once they passed the exam's second phase, he acted as a messenger that granted them access to the preliminaries. During the invasion of Konoha, Iruka escorted his students to safety behind the Hokage Monument. He shared ominous looks with Konohamaru when the Third Hokage's representation cracked, and he comforted Konohamaru during the Third's funeral. In the aftermath, Iruka was forced to suspend his teaching duties in order to go on missions and fill the void in personnel. In the anime, he assisted Naruto in capturing Mizuki when he escaped from jail. He later found time at the end of Part I to see Naruto off before he left the village to train with Jiraiya. Part II Rescue Gaara arc Iruka met with Naruto when he returned two and a half years later, cheering him up after he found out that all of his friends had advanced in rank during his absence. Invasion of Pain arc After Jiraiya was killed, Iruka comforted Naruto, and told him that Jiraiya would always be proud of him. He went on to inform Naruto of how Jiraiya had always bragged about him, and had mentioned multiple times how he thought of Naruto as a grandson. Iruka also reminded him that he was now the one to carry on Jiraiya's legacy. During Pain's attack on Konoha, Iruka was found by one of Pain's bodies while attending to a wounded ninja. He refused to tell Pain where Naruto was, and was almost killed. Kakashi intervened, however, allowing Iruka a chance to get the ninja to the hospital and to later join a squad of Konoha ninja to help repel the invasion. Following Pain's attack, Iruka was last seen apparently injured but alive. After Pain resurrected everyone he had killed, Iruka was seen standing along with the rest of the villagers. He thought back to the days when Naruto was at the academy, and compared it to the present while watching Naruto being cheered at by the whole village. After these memories, a proud smile spread on his face. Other Media Iruka is a playable character in the Naruto: Clash of Ninja series, appearing in four out of nine games. Abilities Little is known about Iruka's abilities. As a head instructor of the Ninja Academy, he is clearly proficient in all forms of basic ninja skills. According to the anime, Iruka is proficient in Genjutsu, as demonstrated when he posed as an enemy Rain ninja to test Sakura, and he also saw through Genjutsu cast by Mizuki. During the Mizuki's Revenge arc, Iruka showed some skill in Taijutsu as well, by keeping on equal footing with the now improved Mizuki in his attacks. The anime showed Iruka using Sealed Bomb Square Release, which consists of setting an array of exploding tags and, once the target has entered the area, setting the tags to detonate if the target moves. While perhaps not as intelligent as Shikamaru or Kakashi, Iruka is known to be clever and able to assess situations carefully and quickly while under threat. Also in the Anime, Iruka seems to have an echolocation ability where he can get a sonar image of his surrounding area as seen in the the Chuunin test tower in the Mizuki's Revenge arc (Perhap playing on the dolphin implication of his name.) Trivia * Despite having made very few appearances later on in the series, he still finished in the top five in every poll. * In the first databook, Iruka's age was given as 25. In the second, it was listed as 23. * The name "Umino Iruka" can be taken as "umi no iruka" ("sea dolphin"). * Iruka's favorite food is ramen from Ichiraku Ramen Bar, with his least favorite being ; a type of takikomi gohan, but with the ingredients added in various stages while cooking. References